Source: EPA
Photo Source: Unsplash, Joel V.
The adaptation strategies provided below are intended to inform and assist communities in identifying potential alternatives. They are illustrative and are presented to help communities consider possible ways to address anticipated current and future climate threats to contaminated site management.
Sea Level Rise
Maintain and Restore Wetlands
Allow coastal wetlands to migrate inland (e.g., through setbacks, density restrictions, land purchases
Establish rolling easements
Remove hard protection or other barriers to tidal and riverine flow (e.g., riverine and tidal dike removals)
Maintain Water Quality & Availability
Incorporate sea level rise into planning for new infrastructure (e.g., sewage systems)
Preserve Coastal Land and Development
Incorporate consideration of climate change impacts into planning for new infrastructure (e.g., homes, businesses)
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) – using an integrated approach to achieve sustainability
Land acquisition program – purchase coastal land that is damaged or prone to damage and use it for conservation
Preserve Habitat
Retreat from, and abandonment of, coastal barriers
Use "Hard" Shoreline Maintenance
Harden shorelines with breakwaters – structures placed offshore to reduce wave action
Harden shorelines with bulkheads – anchored, vertical barriers constructed at the shoreline to block erosion
Harden shorelines with revetments that armor the slope face of the shoreline
Harden shorelines with seawalls
Use "Soft" Shoreline Maintenance
Create dunes along backshore of beach; includes planting dune grasses and sand fencing to induce settling of wind-blown sands
Increase shoreline setbacks
Plant SAV (such as sea grasses) to stabilize sediment and reduce erosion
Redefine riverine flood hazard zones to match projected expansion of flooding frequency and extent
Remediate Brownfield sites in coastal areas and develop parkland along the waterfront that explicitly accounts for sea-level rise
Remove shoreline hardening structures such as bulkheads, dikes, and other engineered structures to allow for shoreline migration
Replace shoreline armoring with living shorelines – through beach nourishment, planting vegetation, etc
Use natural breakwaters of oysters (or install other natural breakwaters) to dissipate wave action and protect shorelines
Flooding & Stormwater Management
Maintain Water Quality & Availability
Design new coastal drainage system
Develop adaptive stormwater management practices (e.g., remove impervious surface, replace undersized culverts)
Plug drainage canals
Maintain and Restore Wetlands
Develop adaptive stormwater management practices (e.g., promoting natural buffers, adequate culvert sizing)
Maintain Sediment Transport
Trap or add sand through beach nourishment – the addition of sand to a shoreline to enhance or create a beach area
Preserve Coastal Land and Development
Incorporate consideration of climate change impacts into planning for new infrastructure (e.g., homes, businesses)
Use "Soft" Shoreline Maintenance
Redefine riverine flood hazard zones to match projected expansion of flooding frequency and extent
Erosion & Sedimentation
Maintain and Restore Wetlands
Create a regional sediment management (RSM) plan
Develop adaptive stormwater management practices (e.g., promoting natural buffers, adequate culvert sizing)
Maintain Sediment Transport
Promote wetland accretion by introducing sediment
Prohibit hard shore protection
Trap or add sand through beach nourishment – the addition of sand to a shoreline to enhance or create a beach area
Trap sand through construction of groins – a barrier type structure that traps sand by interrupting longshore transport
Maintain Water Quality & Availability
Design new coastal drainage system
Use "Hard" Shoreline Maintenance
Harden shorelines with breakwaters – structures placed offshore to reduce wave action
Harden shorelines with bulkheads – anchored, vertical barriers constructed at the shoreline to block erosion
Harden shorelines with revetments that armor the slope face of the shoreline
Harden shorelines with seawalls
Use "Soft" Shoreline Maintenance
Composite systems – incorporate elements of two or more methods (e.g., breakwater, sand fill, and planting vegetation)
Create dunes along backshore of beach; includes planting dune grasses and sand fencing to induce settling of wind-blown sands
Increase shoreline setbacks
Plant SAV (such as sea grasses) to stabilize sediment and reduce erosion
Redefine riverine flood hazard zones to match projected expansion of flooding frequency and extent
Remove shoreline hardening structures such as bulkheads, dikes, and other engineered structures to allow for shoreline migration
Replace shoreline armoring with living shorelines – through beach nourishment, planting vegetation, etc
Restrict or prohibit development in erosion zones
Use natural breakwaters of oysters (or install other natural breakwaters) to dissipate wave action and protect shorelines
Wetland Protection
Maintain and Restore Wetlands
Allow coastal wetlands to migrate inland (e.g., through setbacks, density restrictions, land purchases
Design new coastal drainage system
Develop adaptive stormwater management practices (e.g., promoting natural buffers, adequate culvert sizing)
Identify and protect ecologically significant ("critical") areas such as nursery grounds, spawning grounds, and areas of high species diversity
Incorporate wetland protection into infrastructure planning (e.g., transportation planning, sewer utilities)
Promote wetland accretion by introducing sediment
Preserve and restore the structural complexity and biodiversity of vegetation in tidal marshes, seagrass meadows, and mangroves
Prevent or limit groundwater extraction from shallow aquifers
Trap sand through construction of groins – a barrier type structure that traps sand by interrupting longshore transport
Preserve Habitat
Expand the planning horizons of land use planning to incorporate longer climate predictions
Preserve Coastal Land and Development
Integrate coastal management into land use planning
Land acquisition program – purchase coastal land that is damaged or prone to damage and use it for conservation
Land exchange programs – owners exchange property in the floodplain for county-owned land outside of the floodplain
Use "Soft" Shoreline Maintenance
Create marsh by planting the appropriate species – typically grasses, sedges, or rushes – in the existing substrate
Plant SAV (such as sea grasses) to stabilize sediment and reduce erosion
Use natural breakwaters of oysters (or install other natural breakwaters) to dissipate wave action and protect shorelines
Change in Fish Species
Maintain and Restore Wetlands
Identify and protect ecologically significant ("critical") areas such as nursery grounds, spawning grounds, and areas of high species diversity
Preserve Habitats
Adapt protections of important biogeochemical zones and critical habitats as the locations of these areas change with climate
Connect landscapes with corridors to enable migrations
Design estuaries with dynamic boundaries and buffers
Replicate habitat types in multiple areas to spread risks associated with climate change
Use "Soft" Shoreline Maintenance
Install rock sills and other artificial breakwaters in front of tidal marshes along energetic estuarine shores
Plant SAV (such as sea grasses) to stabilize sediment and reduce erosion
Use natural breakwaters of oysters (or install other natural breakwaters) to dissipate wave action and protect shorelines
Estuaries
Maintain and Restore Wetlands
Allow coastal wetlands to migrate inland (e.g., through setbacks, density restrictions, land purchases)
Create a regional sediment management (RSM) plan
Develop adaptive stormwater management practices (e.g., promoting natural buffers, adequate culvert sizing)Redevelopment Plan
Establish rolling easements
Identify and protect ecologically significant ("critical") areas such as nursery grounds, spawning grounds, and areas of high species diversity
Adaptation Measures
Incorporate wetland protection into infrastructure planning (e.g., transportation planning, sewer utilities)
Maintain Sediment Transport
Prohibit hard shore protection
Promote wetland accretion by introducing sediment
Remove hard protection or other barriers to tidal and riverine flow (e.g., riverine and tidal dike removals)
Trap or add sand through beach nourishment – the addition of sand to a shoreline to enhance or create a beach area
Trap sand through construction of groins – a barrier type structure that traps sand by interrupting longshore transport
Maintain Water Quality & Availability
Create water markets – transferring land and water from agricultural to community use
Design new coastal drainage system
Develop adaptive stormwater management practices (e.g., remove impervious surface, replace undersized culverts)
Establish or broaden "use containment areas" to allocate and cap water withdrawal
Manage water demand (through water reuse, recycling, rainwater harvesting, desalination, etc.)
Plug drainage canals
Prevent or limit groundwater extraction from shallow aquifers
Preserve Coastal Land and Development
Create permitting rules that constrain locations for landfills, hazardous waste dumps, mine tailings, and toxic chemical facilities
Incorporate consideration of climate change impacts into planning for new infrastructure (e.g., homes, businesses)
Integrate coastal management into land use planning
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) – using an integrated approach to achieve sustainability
Land acquisition program – purchase coastal land that is damaged or prone to damage and use it for conservation
Land exchange programs – owners exchange property in the floodplain for county-owned land outside of the floodplain
Manage realignment and deliberately realign engineering structures affecting rivers, estuaries, and coastlines
Preserve Habitat
Adapt protections of important biogeochemical zones and critical habitats as the locations of these areas change with climate
Design estuaries with dynamic boundaries and buffers
Connect landscapes with corridors to enable migrations
Expand the planning horizons of land use planning to incorporate longer climate predictions
Purchase upland development rights or property rights
Replicate habitat types in multiple areas to spread risks associated with climate change
Retreat from, and abandonment of, coastal barriers
Use "Hard" Shoreline Maintenance
Fortify dikes
Harden shorelines with breakwaters – structures placed offshore to reduce wave action
Harden shorelines with bulkheads – anchored, vertical barriers constructed at the shoreline to block erosion
Harden shorelines with revetments that armor the slope face of the shoreline
Harden shorelines with seawalls
Headland control – reinforce or accentuate an existing geomorphic feature or create an artificial headland (e.g., Geotextile tubes)
Use "Soft" Shoreline Maintenance
Composite systems – incorporate elements of two or more methods (e.g., breakwater, sand fill, and planting vegetation)
Create dunes along backshore of beach; includes planting dune grasses and sand fencing to induce settling of wind-blown sands
Create marsh by planting the appropriate species – typically grasses, sedges, or rushes – in the existing substrate
Increase shoreline setbacks
Install rock sills and other artificial breakwaters in front of tidal marshes along energetic estuarine shores
Plant SAV (such as sea grasses) to stabilize sediment and reduce erosion
Redefine riverine flood hazard zones to match projected expansion of flooding frequency and extent
Remove shoreline hardening structures such as bulkheads, dikes, and other engineered structures to allow for shoreline migration
Replace shoreline armoring with living shorelines – through beach nourishment, planting vegetation, etc
Restrict or prohibit development in erosion zones
Use natural breakwaters of oysters (or install other natural breakwaters) to dissipate wave action and protect shorelines
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